“Once when Jesus was praying in private and his disciples were with him, he asked them, “Who do the crowds say I am?” 19 They replied, “Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, that one of the prophets of long ago has come back to life.” 20 “But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?” Peter answered, “God’s Messiah.” Luke 9.18-20
Peter had seen enough. He didn’t need any more evidence.
Think about it—Peter had been with Jesus since day one. He had left the shoreline of Galilee to follow Him, to learn from Him, to watch Him. He had stood amazed, along with the crowds, at what Jesus had done. There was no getting around it: this Rabbi was different. He was amazing—a true miracle worker.
So when Jesus asked the disciples, “Who do the crowds say that I am?” and the answers came back with uncertainty but respect, Jesus knew it was time to ask them directly. Looking at the leader, Peter, He asked, “But what about you?” And Peter, who knew without a shadow of a doubt who was standing in front of him, declared, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.” (Or simply, in the words of the text: “You are God’s Messiah.”)
This was Peter’s confession—and it can be each of our confessions as well. It must be, if we want to be in a right relationship with God.
I think of the young John Wesley who, after a failed preaching trip to Georgia, USA, returned some time later and met the Lord on Aldersgate Street. His heart-warming experience, as he listened to Martin Luther’s Preface to the Book of Romans, resulted in this confession: “I felt my heart strangely warmed. I felt I did trust in Christ, Christ alone, for salvation; and an assurance was given me that He had taken away my sins.”
It was no different for Peter, no different for any believer who comes to the point of acknowledging that Jesus is the Messiah—and chooses to live for Him. The devil knows and believes that Jesus is God’s Son—but he surely does not love or follow Him. For us—for sinners, for the broken and the desperate—we turn to God and trust that Jesus is our Lord and our King.
Have you given your heart to Christ? Have you confessed your sins and asked Jesus to come into your life, take control, and fill you with His Spirit? I dare you to take this intentional step to live for God. And when asked, “Who do you say I am?” may you readily reply, “You are the living Son of God.”
“O Lord God, You are good and faithful. Come now, Holy Spirit, fill me with Your power and love. When I am weary, fill me up. When I am hurting, heal my heart. When I am wayward, bring me back home. For You are God’s Messiah, the Christ, my Lord and Savior. This life is fleeting, but oh how I long for the life eternal to come. I love You, Lord, and I praise Your name. For You are good and Your love endures forever.” Amen.